Fuel injecting and metering means



June l5, 1943. E. T. vlNcENT 2,322,181

I FUEL INJECTING AND METERING MEANS A Filed Aug. 29, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOK.

.Ecwc rd T. incerti BY TTORNEY.

Patented June 15, 1943 by mesne assignments, to Continental Aviation and Engineering Corporation, a corporation ol' Virginia Application August 29, 1939, Serial No. 292,417

' 6 Claims.

My invention relates to a fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine and more particularly to a multiple`fuel metering andV pumping instrumentality.

It is found to be quite diiiicult to adjust and regulate a plurality of fuel pumping devices of the conventional typeso as to accurately control the fuel injection in an internal combustion engine of the compression ignition type. It is quite important that all engine cylinders should receive the same amount of fuel at all times, and that the engine throttle should simultaneously vary the volume of injected fuel to all cylinders I vides a plurality of such pumping instrumentali- A ties and is identified in its entirety by the referalike. In many of the fuel injection devices employed at present in compression ignition engines, it is difficult to maintain equal distribution of fuel with the result that such engines do not perform satisfactory.

An object of my present invention is overcome these difficulties by providing an improved fuel metering and pumping system in which is had a positive control of volume of fuel to be injected into the engine.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved and novel multiple fuel metering and pumping system for internal combustion engines and to insure eflicient engine performance by providing improved adjusting means therefor. A still further object of my invention is to control engine operation in such-a way as to insure uniformly good engine performance by providing readily adiustable means' that will simultaneously adjust each pumping -instrumentality assov ciated with each engine cylinder to controlengine operation, while also providing means permitting individual vadjustment of all said pumping instrumentalities to insure equal fuel distribution. A

For a more detailed ,understanding of my invention reference may be had to the accompany- 'ing drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention; and in which,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my improved fuel metering and pumping device. with parts thereof being broken away to illustrate some of the internal construction, and I Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of one of the fuel metering and pumping instrumentalities,

illustrating in detail the construction and adjustable support ef the pump actuating mecha- The present invention is adapted for use more ignition type, but may obviously be incorporated in any type of fuel injection engine. In such multiple cylinder engines it preferred to provide a plurality of fuel pumps, each pump serving one or a group of engine cylinders. The structure herein illustrated and described proence character A comprising in general a casing I9 which may be secured to an engine crankcase I I'by means of bolts I2 of other suitable fastening devices. A shaft I3 is driven by .any `suitable driving connection in timed relation with respect to the engine crankshaft (not shown). An eecentricl I4 is carried by this shaft I3 and operates to move the eccentric ring I5 in an orbital path and to successively actuate the plurality of pumping instrumentalities P1, P2, Pa, and P4.

In Figs. 1 and 3 the pumping instrumentality P3 is shown in section, and it will be understood that all said pumping instrumentalities are substantially alike. The casing body carries bossess I6 each of which are internally bored out as at I1 or otherwise suitably` machined to receive the pump body of a pumping instrumentality o r pump imit. Same is provided with an annular recess I8 and counterbored as at I9. A flexible member 20, preferably consisting of spring steel and provided with an: annular rib 2l, is supported within the pump bore, said annular rib 2l seating in the annular recess I9, thisilexible member comprising a movable diaphragm w ch forms one wall of a pump chamber 22 (see v 8.7.3). A push plate or plungerA 23 is supported in said counterbored portion I9 and is'so carried bythe casing as to permit same-to be moved outwardly to actuate said exible steel diaphragm. A cam follower 24 engages said push-plate and is actuated by said eccentric ring or actuator I5 as will be explained in more detail hereafter.

The pump chamber is bounded on the side opposite said diaphragm by a pump body 26 seating in the bored out portion I1 and held securely therein by a gland 21. Said pump Vbody 2B is provided with an inlet passage' 28 which registers with an inlet passage 29 carriedin the casing I I), said passages 29 being constructed, and arranged to register with the inlet passages 28 of all said pump bodies. A spring closed inlet valve..

30 controls the inlet of fuel into the pump chamber 22 and a spring closed check valve 3| con- V trols the outlet of fuel from said pump chamber 22, and suitable conducts :z lea-.1mg to the engine particularly with an engine 9 of the compression 55 communicate with the outlets of each said pumping instrumentalities. These valves are preferably substantially conventional one-way valves.

The pump chamber 22 is so designed and constructed as to define a chamber of a predetermined volume, and when same is totally evacuated a full charge of fuel is injected into the fuel line or conduit 32 associated therewith, and the engine is operated at maximum speed or load.l

In order to control engine operation the stroke of the push plate 23 and diaphragm is varied.`

This is accomplished by adjustably varying the position of the cam follower 24. This cam follower comprises a tapered member, the tapered portion 33 being supported to be adjustably posi- .throttle plate 34. The cam followers 24 are carried by this plate 34, same being pivotally secured thereto by the pin 40. Thus the tapered vcam follower can be relatively adjusted in any number of preselected positions intermediate thepush plate 23 and eccentric ring or actuator I5, thereby varying the Working stroke of the diaphragm 22.

Each cam follower is adjustably carried by this annulus or'throttle Plate 34, the pin 40 having a reduced eccentric end portion mounted in the plate 34, said pin being arranged to be turned on its axis or partially rotated in order to relatively shift same with respect to the throttle plate and to thereby adjust the position ofthe cam follower.

I will thus be seen that each of said tapered cam followers can be adjusted relative to the throttle plate 34 in accordance with the individual characteristic of each lindividual pumping instrumentality, thereby adjusting each of said pumping instrumentalities so as to provide for uniform distribution o'f fuel into each of said fuel lines or conducts 32, and these pumps are suitably adjusted as desired by moving the aniiulus or throttle plate 34 to control the engine output.

It is found that the above described'mechanism serves to efciently control engine operation and provides for uniform distribution vof fuel to the engine fuel supply lines of conducts 32. The device is easily adjusted to meet any engine requirement, and is positively and readily actuated to insure a good engine performance at all times.

I have thus provided a simple mechanism for the control of engine operation, which'can be economically manufacturedV and serviced. Although I have described ra preferred embodiment of my invention and have illustrated but one embodiment thereof, it will be understood that changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim: y

l. In a fuel injection system for internal combustion engines, a fuel pumping and fuel metering instrumentality including a pump structure having a chamber provided with an inlet and an outlet, a flexible diaphragm extending transversely of said chamber and dening one wall of operable for actuating said diaphragm, stop means reacting against said push plate to limit the inward movement of the diaphragm and adjustable means associated with said push plate and including an adjustable tapered cam follower manually operable to vary the stroke of said diaphragm to vary the volume of fuel discharged from said pumping instrumentality.

2. A fuel pumping device comprising a pump body structure having inlet and outlet passages, said body structure having a convex surface and arranged for said passages to terminate at said surface in spaced relation to each other, a flexsaid chamber, said exlble diaphragm4 being' initially flexed, means including a push plate contacting at al1 times with the diaphragm .and

ible steel diaphragm relatively closely overlaying said surface and constructed to normally yieldingly flex out of whole surface contact with respect to said surface and to be substantially uniformly spaced therefrom to provide a pump chamber of a predetermined capacity, said diaphragm being initially flexed, means including a push plate contacting at all times with the diaphragm and operable to move said diaphragm towards said surface to evacuate said pump chamber, and stop means reacting against said push plate to limit the inward movement of the diaphragm.

3. A fuel pumping device comprising a pump body structure having inlet and outlet passages, said body structure having a convex surface and arranged for said passages to terminate at said surface in spaced relation relative to each other, a flexible steel diaphragm relatively closely overlaying said surface and constructed to normally yieldingly flex out of contact with respect to said surface and to be substantially uniformly spaced therefrom to provide a pump chamber of a predetermined capacity, said diaphragm being initially flexed and meansv including a push plate contacting at all times with the diaphragm and operable to move said diaphragm towards said surface to evacuate said pump chamber, stop means reacting against said push plate to limit the inward movement of the diaphragm, and adjustable means associated with said push plate and including a tapered cam follower manually adjustable to control the displacementvof said pump, whereby to control the volume of fuel discharged through said pump outlet.

4. A meterinng fuel pump comprising a pump casing having a pump chamber and inlet and outmlet fuel passages communicating with said chamber, valve means for' said passages, said casing having an internal rounded convex surface defining a wall of said pump chamber, a metallic diaphragm having a rounded inner surface relatively closely overlaying the rounded surface of said casing and defining another wall of said pump chamber, said diaphragm being initially flexed in one direction and thereby substantially uniformly spaced from the internal rounded surface of the casing, means including a push plate contacting at all times with said diaphragm and operable to act on said diaphragm to move same towards the surface of the casing to displace the fuel in said pump chamber and Vdischarge same through said outlet, stop means reacting against said push `plate to limit the inward movement of the diaphragm, and manually adjustable means operable to vary the movement of said push plate for varying the amount of fuel discharged per stroke.

5. In a fuel injection system for internal combustion. engines, a fuel pumping instrumentality including a pump structure having achamber provided with an inlet and an outlet, a flexible diaphragm operable in said chamber for evacuating same, means including a push plate contacting at all timeswith said diaphragm for4 actuating said flexible diaphragm, stop means re acting against said push plate to limit the inward movement of the diaphragm, and including a tapered cam follower manually adjustable tov vary the stroke of said flexible means to vary the volumeof fuel discharged from said pumping instrumentality. A

6. A metering fuel pumping instrumentality for a multi-cylinder engine, a casing, a plurality of pumps substantially equally angularly spaced about said casing, each pump having an inlet and 'outlet and supported by said casing, each pump f5 including a pump chamber, a exible diaphragm,

said diaphragm being initially flexed, and a push plate contacting at all times with said diaphragm an eccentric cam driven by said engine, stop means reacting against said push plate to limit,

the inward movement of the diaphragm, a manually adjustable ring, tapered cam followers adjustably carried by saidring and each independently adjustably positioned vto vary the stroke of the push, plate associated therewith, and means, operable `to manually adjust said ring to simultaneously adjust all said cam followers for simultaneously varying the strokeslof all said exible diaphragms to control the engine operation.`

EDWARD T. VINCENT. 

